Repair work still on, trains to Mumbai stay off tracks

TNN | Updated: Aug 13, 2019, 6:48 IST

Rainwater accumulation on and around trucks in tunnel

PUNE: The railway link between the city and Mumbai remained cut off for the eighth consecutive day on Monday because of the tracks restoration work between Lonavla and Karjat in the southeast ghat section.

A railway official said the Pune-Mumbai intercity trains would remain off tracks for a few more days as the restoration work was expected to take another three-four days. He said the train operations through all the three damaged tracks in the southeast ghat section had been suspended. The long-distance trains had been diverted or short-terminated, he added. The tracks repair work has been going on near Khandala for the past few days after landslides and loose boulders damaged them. Repair of tracks, overhead cables and restoration of the signalling system have been given a priority. Loose boulders and debris damaged them inside the tunnel. The railway authorities claimed that the restoration work had been expedited after the drop in the intensity of rainfall. The affected areas received above 1,800mm rainfall in the past 10 days. Central Railway’s senior PRO Anil Kumar Jain said, “Boulders fell on tracks because of incessant rain and subsequent landslide, prompting the suspension of train movement in the Karjat-Lonavala ghat section. Around 200-250 workers, along with railway staffer and supervisors, are working round-the-clock to restore the traffic amid rain. All the required machineries have been moved to the spots,” he said.

Sources in the administration claimed that the work was not just confined to removal of debris, repairing tracks and overhead cables, and restoring the signalling system. The works are also under way to arrest the landslides. The side portions of the tracks, affected due to repeated landslides, heavy downpour and accumulation of rainwater, are being strengthened. A K Gupta, the general manager of the Central Railway, along with senior officials, recently inspected the restoration work. More such inspections are expected in the next couple of days.